Engaging Youth in Peacebuilding
Lessons from Papua New Guinea By Ashley Law
Between 2017-2019, I supported the implementation of a democracy and governance project in Papua New Guinea’s Autonomous Region of Bougainville.
While mainly based in Bougainville’s capital of Buka, I also visited Arawa and Buin in South Bougainville. I worked closely with civil society members including young leaders and women’s groups to bolster inclusive participation in democratic processes. I was there just two decades after a prolonged civil war when the Bougainville Referendum Commission (BRC) was in preparation to conduct the Bougainville independence referendum in 2019.
While working closely with the BRC and civil society, I learned about the lost generation when many young people missed out on economic and educational opportunities because they were pulled into war. Many spoke about the resulting trauma that often manifested in physical harm, political, social, and economic exclusion. These legacies of war motivated the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) to create the Bougainville Youth Policy and prioritize young people’s engagement in development efforts, including the 2019 referendum.
Similarly, Papua New Guinea’s National Youth Policy recognizes the investment in engaging young people in development efforts. Putting policy into practice, the National Youth Development Authority led efforts to set up district youth councils across Papua New Guinea to provide a space for young people to share their ideas and opinions, and influence formal decision-making at the community level.
It became evident after a short time in Bougainville that age, among other identity factors such as gender, disability, and tribal affiliation, impact one’s access to political leadership roles across all levels of government, from the local level to national government. This is a prominent issue across Papua New Guinea where traditionally, older men are elected as formal leaders and many are selected based on the customary wantok system – a kin-based reciprocity system.
Young people, especially marginalized populations including young women and young people with disabilities, are often overlooked and excluded from formal leadership roles. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), 0% of Papua New Guinea’s Members of Parliament (MPs) are aged 30 and under. Only 8% of MPs are 40 and under, and a limited 14.8% of MPs are 45 and under. Since gaining independence in 1975, only 10 women have been elected to serve as members of Papua New Guinea’s National Parliament. For persons with disabilities, accessing information about formal leadership opportunities and government offices remains a major impediment to their political participation.
This means that younger people, who comprise a majority of the population, and their opinions, ideas, and solutions are not included in formal decision-making processes. They have little to no influence over policies and strategies that impact them nor are they being recognized as key contributors to their country’s development despite what national policies outline about youth participation.
To put it in perspective, about 60% of Papua New Guinea’s population is under the age of 25. Papua New Guinea reflects over 800 living languages and identifies over 600 different tribes. In addition to linguistic minority youth, the Disability Data Initiative estimates 11% of 15 to 29 year olds and 27.8% 30 to 44 year olds identify with disabilities. For decision-making processes to be truly democratic, mechanisms need to be fully inclusive and reflective of the country’s diverse population.
As a Youth Technical Manager with Q2 Impact (Q2I), I reflect on my time and experiences in Bougainville. When supporting youth development programs around the world, I often wonder: why are young people seen as assets and key players in times of war, but not when it comes to good governance and peacebuilding?
As noted in the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250, young people are critical stakeholders to building and maintaining peace. This means they need to be included in all development aspects, particularly key decision-making processes that influence their lives. However, more opportunities to bolster leadership skills and facilitate social cohesion are paramount to preparing young people to take on formal leadership roles and contribute to their communities.
One impactful way to do this is to provide opportunities for young people to express their agency through participation in advisory groups. For example, under Q2I implementation of the USAID-funded Turkmenistan Youth Development Activity we developed and regularly convene the Youth Development Advisory Group. This group is comprised of young people, donors, partners, and private and public sector representatives.
The Advisory Group engages in strategic planning and discusses program results with a focus on solutioning and improving future programming. This platform encourages young people to exercise their leadership skills by sharing knowledge and experiences and acting as a sounding board for more coordinated efforts and collective action on youth engagement programming. Furthermore, it fosters relationship building with key decision-makers with whom young people do not often directly interact.
A similar approach was adopted by Q2I in Jordan under USAID’s Youth Grow Activity where we are currently implementing the Youth Community of Practice (YCOP). The YCOP facilitates youth engagement and strives to establish an interconnected youth development ecosystem in which stakeholders, including young people, USAID representatives, and implementing partners, collaborate, share learnings, encourage youth participation, provide capacity strengthening, and develop opportunities for young people to influence youth programming across the country.
Within the YCOP, young people take on leadership roles; they make up 50% of the group and are active partners raising their perspectives and innovations to drive the practice community forward.
It is not enough to invite young people to participate. There must be intentional opportunities established so that they can exert their agency, enhance their self-confidence, and hone leadership skills. Young people across Papua New Guinea would benefit from this proven youth development approach that provides real and meaningful opportunities for young people to deepen their knowledge and skills while providing direct input into the design and implementation of development activities. Applying a systems approach to convening young people with community leaders, civil society, private sector, and government stakeholders can bring about more widespread and inclusive development across economic, political, and social domains.
Ashley Law is the Youth Technical Manager at Q2 Impact, with over 12 years of experience working with young people across domestic and international development sectors including social services, democracy and governance, early childhood care and development, higher education, and conflict resolution and peacebuilding. She has designed, implemented, and supported youth development programming for young people in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, and more. She published Positive Youth Development (PYD): A Bridge to Connect Civic Education and Sustainable Development which is cited as a source in USAID’s 2022 Youth in Development Policy. She holds a B.A. in Child Development & Family Studies; Psychology from Purdue University, and an M.A. in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University.